The Edmonton Oilers handled the Calgary Flames last night beating their rival 4-0 in the first preseason game of the year for both clubs. While this one was a matchup without a lot of stars, there were still some positives on the rosters.
There were some Oilers players that did have big nights against the Flames.
Winning a dominant game four to zero might not mean much during the preseason. In fact, while I was listening to the broadcast the one line that stuck with me after the game was the fact that if you are going to have a night like tonight, let it be in the preseason – Flames commentary.
This brings up a big point. Yesterday’s game was great, but it means nothing. Even for the players trying to push for spots on the team and icetime, it means nothing. That was one test but now the next battle begins when the Oilers take on the Kraken on Tuesday.
So who stood out for Edmonton last night?
Derek Ryan, former Calgary Flame, had a pretty good night registering a goal and an assist. During a night when the team did not play any stars, Ryan rose to the occasion for the Oilers and helped out in all areas of the ice. Former first-round pick Xavier Bourgault also registered a goal and an assist last night he spent a great deal of time on the power play, but I guess so did most of the team when the opponent takes seven penalties.
Another player that was fun to watch last night was Evan Bouchard. Bouchard is the top pick from the Oilers to take a big step forward and last night he showed he was capable of it. While he did not have any points last night he registered six shots on goal and played over 22 minutes. Filip Bergland was also a good defenceman last night for this team as he led the unit in ice time.
The only other note I have was the fact that Brendan Perini had a goal last night. As one of those players that are pushing for a spot on the roster somewhere, keep an eye on Perlini throughout the rest of training camp and the preseason to see what he does.
The Oilers will be back in action on Tuesday facing off against the brand new Seattle Kraken. The Kraken beat the Vancouver Canucks last night 5 to 3 and while that is just a preseason matchup it is fun to see the Kraken now in the NHL!